In the wake of the developing coal crisis across multiple industrial hubs in India due to Coal India Limited's persistence in prioritizing coal supplies to the power sector to the detriment of the non-power sector, Sanjay Kumar Singh, National Secretary General, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and President, Chhattisgarh INTUC has sent a letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Coal Minister & Labour Minister, Government of India, Chairman & MD, CIL, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Labour Minister, Government of Chhattisgarh, President, State Congress Committee and CMD, SECL.

The letter mentions the crisis looming large over the state's industries due to the developing coal crisis gradually over the past one year. The letter states that the coal produced by SECL is supplied to the industries of Chhattisgarh as well as to the ones established outside the state. Since the course of past one year, SECL is consistently declining the share of committed coal supplies to the industries in Chhattisgarh and has eventually increased the share of coal supply outside the state at the cost of the state's industries. Sanjay Singh stated in the letter that Chhattisgarh constitutes around 18 per cent of the national coal reserves which means that 56 billion tonnes coal is present in the state. More than 250 industrial units in Chhattisgarh are dependent on Captive Power Plants for their smooth business operations and require around 32 million tonnes of coal annually which is around 19 per cent of total production of SECL.

Presently SECL is unable to fulfill the coal requirements of industries in the state despite producing 165 million tonnes of coal annually.